I made the same trade, had the Z for about a year and a half and traded it in on a 04 6MT Sedan, yes I said sedan, and I have no kids, and no need for a backseat. I just liked the Sedan more, I also plan to buy another sports car at some point in the next year.

I love the Z and the G, I just wanted a little more refinement and to get rid of some of the problems the Z had. Yes, there will be those that argue they are minor, well quit fooling yourselves, transmission failures (although now resolved), and tire wear problems are not normal.

Overall, I am very glad I made the trade, I wish I could have both, but as my only car, the G is far superior.

 

My search for a G35 is not going well. Two out of three dealers here have offered me $25k for my Track even though the car books for over $29k as a trade in. Some line of crap that the Track is not worth much?!?! Any of you Z guys get really ripped when trading your Z for the G35?

 

well, i test drove both the Z and the G before I bought my G35.

if i were still in college, i'd definitely buy the Z track. it feels slightly lighter on its feet, a little bit more responsive in handling, and the 3 gauges on the center stack(which i could use for different gauges) is definitely a cool detail. but the interior material definitely falls below anyone's expectations and the car is really more 'bare-sport' oriented than the G.

G weighs more, but has alot more goodies. i bought the G because i spent alot of time meeting clients and i wanted something little bit more practical.

but, should i choose to have more fun with the G, almost every performance part available for the Z also applies to the G, so i didn't really lose out on anything.

just my .02 cents.

 

I almost did the very same thing. My Z was plagued with problems and I'm still considering getting a used G coupe. The Infiniti dealer near me is fantastic and my parents have had nothing but good things to say about them. The Nissan dealers are horrible.

That said, I just have to post this:

 

is that people are quick to criticize the interior of the Z, but my buddy has a G35c, and honestly it's interior is every bit as cheap and he 100% agrees. The aluminum-look trim is honestly the worst I've ever seen (including the $99 ebay kits). Also the G's seats are vastly inferior to those of the Z in terms of appearance and comfort - I've spent hours in both...the G lacks side bolstering.. Not hating on the G, just defending a rather biased attack of the G. Truth be told both cars have substandard interiors - I haven't seen a review of EITHER that praises the interior. The G's materials are every bit as cheap as the Z's IMHO. Neither can touch their german rivals, but the cheap interior is classic nissan.

And as for tranny issues, both cars have the same problem...which I will definitely agree is abnormal and sucks. So if the tranny problem bothers you don't buy EITHER. As for the feathering, that is a prob w/the Z that should be addressed.

NzZ

 

Yeah, its *really* funny watching some short-peckered snapperheads talking all this trash re: how high tech and "better" the G is when in actuality - b/c they share so many components - they have similar probs.

eg. - the tranny
do you think that a small japanese guy hand picks the good trannys and deignates those for G installation?

Remember BOTH of these cars are sold alongside each other in their domestic market.

Its really funny how you see the same crap that was written in a magazine propagate to the point that its believed as true.

I have always wondered why a certain mag got overly critcal re: the Zs interior. 1.8 yrs later, my Z and its interior CONTINUE to get compliments down here in SoCal. Most ppl comment on how integrated the interior design is with the exterior - the repetition of arcs and yada yada.

The Z has a simple and elegant interior design, while the Gs has the design of a volume japanese luxo-tug.

If you actually stopped to think about, you would realize that the two interiors are certainly different but are styles in a different manner. One is true sport the other UJS. If you are the sort that wants the most buttons and blinking lights to distract you from your driving, the Z is not your car.

"goodies" the G has dual zone climate control and a sunroof. To my knowledge - Everything else you can have in both cars. My 03 touring had the bose fix - sounds great to me. The center gauges with their attendant functions (TPM) etc are a Z only feature.

I will concede that the G has better tires. I got a set of these on my Z and damn! Now I see where that skidpad advantage comes from. Really quiet too.

Get whichever car suits you - seriously. Its just I get really sick of the G35 gaity. Some of you are so absurd in your reasoning - to think that the G is simply more for your money - perhaps if you want a luxo-tug.

This is a primarily Z-oriented page, yet you never see ppl talking about g this z that...except on the G pages why is that? Is that the demeanor of the near-lux buyer?

The next step up from a Z is a 911.
The next step up from a G is a CLK

understand?

 

You said it. Don't miss the full time harsh ride of my Z, I don't feel like I gave up anything - just the opposite.

 

Understand?

Yes, better than you do, as I have had both cars - and no forum needs name calling or the insults, if you're sick of it, why do you add to it?

I had my 2003 350Z fourteen months, had the Infiniti 6 months - IMHO, both great cars, but I give the edge to the Coupe -

Tranny - 2003 G35's had a high failure rate in the 6MT, something was changed and the rate hs dropped to next to nothing. How the dealers respond to problems - I give the edge to Infiniti.

Skidpad - wheelbase also is a factor there, and Nissan has no excuse for those Bridgestones - what garbage! I also had the "alignment" TSB, the tire swap TSB, the replaced front suspension rod TSB...quality issues? Absolutely.

Interior - Give it to the Z for the Guages, put that Tach right in the center where it belongs. G could do w/o the busy center console, but don't miss that crappy little Z plastic door - and like my NAV unit dropping into the dash when I'm not using it. The Z interior design is more distinctive, IMHO w/re to the design of the car. I also miss the center guages - good feature.

BUT - in my Z, the driver's seat rocked on its rails (TSB for that), the windows had grease streaks (TSB again), the stereo was awful (TSB again), the driver's seat fabric was fraying badly (no TSB there), the seatbelts rattled against the pillar (TSB - "put it into the clip right"), no storage within reach of the driver unless stopped...some design!

BLOWS - the Z Bose just got it wrong, w or w/o the "fix", that stinks for a premuim stereo package. Bose often gets it wrong and is overrated, but in my G the Bose is one of the best factory stereos I've had in any car - and the sub blows that crap they put in the Z away.

Last - Money talks and Bulls**t Walks - if you can't see $1000 worth of better tires, 18' wheels, a useable stereo, Brembos on all 6MT's, MUCH better resale value retention - you're in the minority if you don't see the value for the money.

If you doubt it, check out the 15% drop in 350Z YTD sales through end of May 2004 vs. 2003, and the 14% increase in G35 Coupe sales - 2,700 buyers of the G35 Coupe voted with their $$$ vs. 3,200 350Z sold in NNA. In March 2004, more G35 Coupes were sold than 350Z's.

When was the last time you saw an "Infiniti" product track almost 1:1 with its Nissan-badged counterpart? I never have - it's always 2:1 or more in Nissan-badged favor.

If you think I'm making these numbers up, read it yourself:
http://www.infinitinews.com/corporat...02110916.shtml

And don't call people p**ckerheads, your Mom would most definitely not approve.

 

I have been thinking about trading mine in for a G too. I am sick of not having a back seat. The seating is my only complaint onthe Z.

 

I agree with SteveZ. It's tough to overlook the value of the G35c 6MT.

Also, service seems better at the Infiniti dealer. I took my car in for an oil change the other day and they gave me a G35 loaner. On the other hand, the oil change did cost $3 more than what they charge at the Nissan dealer.

 

What did they charge for the oil change? My Nissan dealer charges around $36 and it takes them 2 hours to get it done even if you have an appointment.

 

I used a coupon ($24.95). I think the regular price is around $43.

They ended up keeping the car all day even though I scheduled an appointment. Yes, that sucks in terms of service. However, I'm not going to complain when they give me a rental car and don't tell me whether or not I have to put gas in it when I'm done.


Cheever

 

After this next change I will be at 10K miles running dino oil changes. If they jack me around for another 2 hours this time, I'll have my buddy that owns his own auto repair business do it and start using Mobil 1 5w30 and go to 6K mile OCI versus the 3K mile OCI I've been doing with the dealer.

 

Depends on the dealer - a Touring with full options would probably fetch more, strange as it may sound.

I lost 4k in value after 14 months, but dealer book (wholesale) would have cost me almost $7-8k.

They gave me a better deal

 

not pretty - dealer dino refresh was almost $50

Filter/Oil - $17. All the rest was haz mat disposal, labor, ...I have a 2004 Ram Hemi truck and it only costs $26.95 for the same service at Dodge, and that's at least two qts. more dino juice.

Not pleased with that one

 

I also have made the 350Z/G35 Coupe trade. It was the best thing I could do. I should have bought the G35 first.

 

Pit Bull! Howz it goin?

Mobil One from here on out with my own choice of filter (love the K&N oil filters, have a hex head top that fits a wrench). I can do oil plus filter for under $25 if I buy the Mobil syn in big jugs. I'm still on 3-4k intervals because I do so much short trip driving and the car gets pretty hot under the hood, can't figure out why

Also may put Redline in the 6MT, it really made a difference in my Altima for smoothness - very good, but very expensive.

 

Steve they did better today, they changed it in 1 hour. Only charged me $28, this time. By the next change I will be at 10K miles and will go with the Mobil 1 for 6K mile interval. Based on the owners manual all you ever do to these cars is change oil/filter and assorted other filters/air,etc.

 

Well, I did it. The Z is gone in favor of a Black 04 G35...Sedan!

I was completely against looking at the sedan at first. After seeing and comparing the two, I had to go with the sedan. The purpose behind trading the Z was to get something more practical, but still very nice. The coupe back seat and trunk just weren't big enough. It was hard to turn my back on the looks of the coupe, but I'm just not in a position to have one at this point.

The sedan is black on willow with the sport tuned suspension, premium package, and the full aerodynamic body kit. I am very happy with the way it looks, especially in black with the full kit. At 29 years of age, I was hoping to still stay sporty rather than middle aged and boring. I think I accomplished that with this car.

It would not be fair to compare the Z I had to this G or vice versa, but lets just say I feel like a million bucks driving that car.

 

qirex and NzZ always give pointless arguements